Panel shoe and method of making same

ABSTRACT

A panel shoe is provided. The shoe has a blank having a heel and an insole; a shoe upper assembly comprising a first panel, a second panel and a foot base, the first and second panels extend upwardly from a periphery of said foot base and have an upper edge disposed on a side opposite said foot base, the foot base being disposed over the blank, the shoe upper assembly having a geometric dimension smaller than a peripheral edge of the blank; and center panel having a peripheral edge, the center panel being positioned over the upper edges of the first and second panels such that the upper edges of the first and second panels align with the peripheral edge of the center panel.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority from U.S. Design application Ser. No. 29/239,963 filed on Oct. 6, 2005, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a panel shoe and methods of making same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a three panel shoe that provides ease of construction and a method of making the same.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Panel shoes are popular for the comfort they provide to a wearer. However, panel shoes can be time consuming and costly to manufacture. The panels must be accurately measured, cut and sewn to form a finished shoe that appears symmetrical and does not have bulky or uneven seams that cause wearer discomfort.

The precision required for the positioning and cutting processes of panel shoe manufacture cut down on the degree to which manufacture can be automated, and therefore the speed with which the shoe can be manufactured. Because manual work is required, panel shoes are costly to manufacture.

Therefore, a need exists for a panel shoe wherein at least a part of the manufacturing process may be automated. Specifically, a need exists for a panel shoe wherein a blank and insole are manufactured in a highly automated process that does not require precise measuring and trimming and wherein the center panel or tongue may be added later in the manufacturing process and canted, pivoted, or further adjusted and trimmed to accommodate for inaccuracies in measurement and positioning of the side panels, thereby forming a finished shoe.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a panel shoe wherein some part of the manufacturing process is automated.

It is another object of the present invention to provide such a panel shoe wherein manufacture of the panel shoe is less costly due to automation of part of the process.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a panel shoe wherein a shoe upper assembly having a first panel, a second panel and a foot base is manufactured in a first phase of construction of the panel shoe.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a panel shoe, wherein a center panel is positioned over the upper edges of the first and second panels in a later phase of construction of the panel shoe.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such a panel shoe wherein the center panel is secured to the shoe upper assembly and is canted, pivoted, or further adjusted and thereafter trimmed to accommodate for inaccuracies in measurement and positioning of the shoe upper assembly side panels.

It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide a method of making a panel shoe using a minimal number of manufacturing steps.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved by a panel shoe having a blank having a heel and an insole; a shoe upper assembly comprising a first panel, a second panel and a foot base; the first and second panels extending upwardly from a periphery of the foot base, the first and second panels having an upper edge disposed on a side opposite the foot base, the foot base being disposed over the blank, the shoe upper assembly having a geometric dimension smaller than a peripheral edge of the blank; and a center panel having a peripheral edge, wherein the center panel is positioned over the upper edges of the first and second panels such that the upper edges of the first and second panels align with the peripheral edge of the center panel, wherein the center panel is secured to the shoe upper assembly; and wherein the peripheral edges of the center panel are trimmed as necessary to form a completed shoe.

The objects and advantages of the present invention are further achieved by a method for making a panel shoe, comprising the steps of preparing a blank having a heel and an insole; preparing a shoe upper assembly comprising a first panel, a second panel and a foot base; the first and second panels extending upwardly from a periphery of the foot base, the first and second panels having an upper edge disposed on a side opposite the foot base, the foot base being disposed over the blank, the shoe upper assembly having a geometric dimension smaller than a peripheral edge of the blank; preparing a center panel; positioning the center panel over the upper edges of the first and second panels such that the first and second panel upper edges align with the peripheral edges of the center panel; securing the center panel to the shoe upper assembly; and trimming the edges of the center panel as necessary to form a completed shoe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and still other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed explanation of the preferred embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view of the panel shoe of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded side view of the panel shoe of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the shoe upper assembly of the panel shoe of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the panel shoe of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a side view of the panel shoe of the present invention highlighting the panel shoe blank.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings and, in particular, FIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated a wrap around shoe system or panel shoe according to the present invention generally represented by reference numeral 100. Panel shoe 100 is preferably a three panel construction; however it is conceivable that panel shoe 100 may have more than three panels or fewer than three panels. Panel shoe 100 has a shoe upper assembly 110, a blank 120 and a center panel or tongue 130.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, blank 120 has an insole 122 and a heel 124. Blank 120 may be formed by any means known in the art and, similarly, may be constructed of any materials known in the art. Non-limiting examples of materials for constructing blank 120 include wood, cork, rubber, rope, resin, plastic and any combinations thereof.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 3, shoe upper assembly 110 has a first panel 110 a, a second panel 10 b and a foot base 110 c. First and second panels 110 a and 110 b extend in an upward direction from the periphery of foot base 110 c, which forms the food bed of finished panel shoe 100. Referring to FIG. 4, first and second panels 110 a and 110 b define a space 127 therebetween. First and second panels 110 a and 110 b each have an upper edge 115 a and 115 b, respectively, disposed on said first and second panels 110 a and 110 b disposed opposite foot base 110 c. Shoe upper assembly 110 may be formed from one integral piece or may be formed from separate components that are connected to form shoe upper assembly 110. Shoe upper assembly may optionally have further features including, for example, cushioning materials, odor absorbing materials, insulating materials and decorative materials. These materials are preferably disposed on or under foot base 110 c as illustrated in FIG. 3.

Shoe upper assembly 110 has a geometric dimension smaller than a peripheral edge of blank 120. Foot base 10 c of shoe upper assembly 110 is attached to blank 120, thereby forming a foot bed that is suitable for mass production and eliminates the need for a separate insole board. Attachment of foot base 110 c to shoe upper assembly 110 may be accomplished by any means known in the art for adhering such as stitching, gluing, hot welding, or any combination thereof. Shoe upper assembly may be formed of materials including, but not limited to, leather, imitation leather, plastic, vinyl, rubber, canvas, mesh, cotton or any combinations thereof.

First and second panels 110 a and 110 b are then trimmed to a specific height. The trimming step need not be entirely accurate, as center panel 130 is designed to compensate for inaccuracies in positioning and length of first and second panels 110 a and 110 b.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, center panel 130 has a peripheral edge 135. Center panel 130 is cut to have a larger profile or size than is necessary for simply forming a seam with first and second panels 110 a and 110 b and covering space 127. This large size allows for centering of center panel 30 on first and second panels 110 a and 110 b and for cutting of excess center panel 30. As illustrated, center panel 130 forms a downward facing arc that is joined with the upper edges 115 a and 115 b of first and second panels 110 a and 110 b. Center panel 130 is positioned over upper edges 115 a and 115 b of first and second panels 110 a and 100 b such that the upper edges 115 a and 115 b align with peripheral edge 135 of center panel 130. Center panel 130 is secured to shoe upper assembly 110 by any means known in the art including sewing, gluing or hot welding. The peripheral edges 135 of center panel 130 are then trimmed as necessary to form finished panel shoe 100.

Improper attachment or poor alignment of center panel 130 with shoe upper panel assembly 110 renders panel shoe 100 uncomfortable to the wearer. Accordingly, the added manufacturing step of attaching oversized center panel 130 to a finished shoe upper assembly 110 enables proper positioning of the stitched seam formed by upper edges 115 a and 115 b of first and second panels 110 a and 110 b and peripheral edge 135 of center panel 130. Specifically, addition of center panel 130 at a later point in the manufacturing process enables center panel 130 to be oriented and adjusted over upper edges 115 a and 115 b of first and second panels 110 a and 110 b, thereby correcting any deficiencies in cut, size or positioning of first and second panels 110 a and 110 b. This process provides for speed of manufacture by enabling the step of forming the shoe upper assembly 110 and blank 120 combination to be automated, thereby reducing the cost of manufacture.

At a later point in the manufacturing process, center panel 130 is added to the shoe upper assembly 110 and blank 120 combination, as described above. Positioning of center panel 130 may require canting, pivoting, or other manipulation so that a proper seam is achieved. Thus, the method of the present invention is an improvement over the art in that it allows for mass production of the shoe upper assembly 110 and blank 120 combination in a manner that does not require measuring precision. The task of precisely forming a seam between upper edges 115 a and 115 b of first and second panels 110 a and 110 b and peripheral edge 135 of center panel 130 is undertaken later in the manufacturing process, preferably by hand, thereby compensating for any non-conformity in the automated steps of the manufacturing process. Once center panel 130 is positioned and centered, any overhang of peripheral edge 135 of center panel 130 may be trimmed away in a second automated step. Preferably, center panel 130 is capable of accommodating mistakes about ½ cm to about 1 cm in size.

The present invention has been described with particular reference to the preferred embodiments. It should be understood that the foregoing descriptions and examples are only illustrative of the present invention. Various alternatives and modifications thereof can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims. 

1. A panel shoe, comprising: a blank having a heel and an insole; a shoe upper assembly comprising a first panel, a second panel and a foot base; said first and second panels extending upwardly from a periphery of said foot base, said first and second panels having an upper edge disposed on a side opposite said foot base, said foot base being disposed over said blank, said shoe upper assembly having a geometric dimension smaller than a peripheral edge of said blank; and a center panel having a peripheral edge, wherein said center panel is positioned over the upper edges of said first and second panels such that said upper edges of said first and second panels align with the peripheral edge of said center panel, wherein said center panel is secured to said shoe upper assembly; and wherein the peripheral edges of said center panel are trimmed as necessary to form a completed shoe.
 2. The panel shoe of claim 1, wherein said blank is formed of wood, cork, rubber, rope, resin, plastic and any combinations thereof.
 3. The panel shoe of claim 1, wherein said shoe upper assembly is integrally formed.
 4. The panel shoe of claim 1, wherein said shoe upper assembly is formed of discrete components including said first and second panels and said foot base said components being attached to form an assembly.
 5. The panel shoe of claim 1, wherein said shoe upper assembly further comprises cushioning materials, odor absorbing materials, insulating materials, decorative materials and any combinations thereof.
 6. The panel shoe of claim 1, wherein said center panel has a larger profile than a space defined between said first panel and said second panel.
 7. The panel shoe of claim 1, wherein said foot base is attached to said shoe upper assembly by adhering means such as stitching, gluing, hot welding, or any combination thereof.
 8. The panel shoe of claim 1, wherein said shoe upper assembly is formed of leather, imitation leather, plastic, vinyl, rubber, canvas, mesh, cotton or any combination thereof.
 9. The panel shoe of claim 1, wherein said center panel 130 is canted, pivoted or otherwise manipulated to form a proper seam in said panel shoe.
 10. A method for making a panel shoe, comprising the steps of: preparing a blank having a heel and an insole; preparing a shoe upper assembly comprising a first panel, a second panel and a foot base; said first and second panels extending upwardly from a periphery of said foot base, said first and second panels having an upper edge disposed on a side opposite said foot base, said foot base being disposed over said blank, said shoe upper assembly having a geometric dimension smaller than a peripheral edge of said blank; preparing a center panel; positioning said center panel over the upper edges of said first and second panels such that said first and second panel upper edges align with the peripheral edges of said center panel; securing said center panel to said shoe upper assembly; and trimming the edges of said center panel as necessary to form a completed shoe.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of forming said shoe upper assembly and said blank is automated.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein said positioning step compensates for inaccuracies and misalignment of said first and said second panel.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein said positioning of center panel is accomplished by canting, pivoting, or other manipulation so that a proper seam is achieved.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein said step of trimming is automated. 